Blogs & Static Websites - What's the Difference?
A website is a series of web page files that are linked together.
They are created with a more manual process either through software or hand coded by a programmer.
A blog is a kind of website where the content is called "posts" and by default, they are displayed from newest to oldest -- usually on the homepage.
Think of a news site or tech blog like TechCrunch. These sites use the blogging format.
Blogs have feeds that people can subscribe to. That means every time you add new posts, their readers will notify them.
Blogs are dynamic, because the posts and categories automatically display the content in reverse chronological order.
If you choose WordPress, you can even use plugins to make the content display even more dynamically (by most commented, etc.)
But you can also create "pages" in WordPress that are static like this. These pages stay put on your navigation. So think of an "About Me" or "Contact Us" page.
WordPress for Static and Dynamic Content
You can actually use WordPress to get the best of both worlds. That's why it's so popular now.
Even though the platform is primarily associated with blogging (dynamically generated content), you can use it to build a more static layout as well. It will just take some menu modifications.
I developed a WordPress guide (tutorial) that shows you how to accomplish this.
Blogs are Easier to Setup, But...
Just because blog-like content is the default for WordPress doesn't mean you shouldn't alter the layout to fit how your visitors need to browse your content.
For example, it doesn't make sense for all sites to arrange their content by category or date. It would be hard to find certain information.
Many people make the mistake of choosing a blog format when they really need a combination of both blog-like content and static pages
For example, let's say you have a gardening website with basic, evergreen information on flowers.
This kind of content is not newsworthy so it may live on static pages that can be accessed from the main menu.
But let's say every month you write new content about flowers you've just planted. Your subscribers may love to keep up with this kind of info.
You could create a category in WordPress called "News" or "Recent Projects" so people can click that menu option and see your latest posts on that flowers you are planting.
WordPress will always list the newest post first.
Pages are best for evergreen content that doesn't need to be updated much. Posts are for newsworthy content that you arrange by category and date.
There is No Right or Wrong
A lot of people get stuck and can't decide which layout they should choose. But there is no right or wrong. Always think about what makes sense for how your content needs to be read.
WordPress is super flexible and you are free to arrange your content how you need to.
Discover how to create a WordPress site here.
If you liked this, please share. Thanks!
Hi, my name is 